Re: Stop the presses -- Anti-terrorism bill not that bad

[tcmay@got.net (Timothy C. May)]

At 12:48 AM 8/3/96, Declan McCullagh wrote:
>Stop the presses -- the other shoe didn't drop. Despite a flurry of
>last-minute hyperbole, the House passed an anti-terrorism bill this
>afternoon without the ominous encryption or wiretap provisions. Now
>the bill lies in the lap of the Senate, which probably will approve it
>later today or tomorrow before they leave town for the August recess.

I agree. And I think we should thank CDT, EFF, the ACLU, and (gasp) the NRA
for ensuring that martial law provisions did not get slipped in during the
rush to get out of Washington for the recess. (And maybe other groups...I
don't follow all the politics.)

I'm watching Rep. Bob Barr (R) on "Larry King Live," on CNN. He makes a lot
of sense, and keeps coming back to civil liberties, the alliance between
the ACLU and the NRA on this one, etc. His adversary, Rep. John Conyers (D)
is calling for stronger measures, for the need to "do something."

(I thought the Democrats nominally stood for certain types of civil
liberties? Not that I ever was fooled by them, but this is the public
personna they present.)


>The Net owes its thanks to the House Republicans for stopping these
>fool Dems in a fine backroom political maneuver late last night.

By the way, my blasting of Sen. Dianne Feinstein as "Fineswine,"
"Swinestein," etc. (names not original with me, of course) is heartfelt. I
don't mine dealing with opponents, even articulate enemies of freedom. But
Feinstein is a halfwit and a hypocrite. A San Francisco society lady
masquerading as a senator. She's proof that transmigration of souls is
real, being the incarnation of Marie Antoinette. "Let them eat cake."

--Tim May

Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software!
We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed.
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Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
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